The recent Mumbai terror attacks has left us completely paralyzed, mentally – we just seem to be going through our daily chores mechanically, bereft of thought or emotion. That impact created by sixty hours of mayhem on the minds of people who were physically, far removed from the scene of action, can only be explained in terms of the uprooting of all things that we took for granted prior to that – that we live in a civil society, that we have effective legislative and administerial structures, that we all are continuously trying to improve our lives in someway or the other etc. But, the fact remained, the feeling of ‘being completely LOST and CLUELESS’ was inescapable.
In the aftermath of the events, there has been an outpouring of anger (significantly more than grief) through various forms – emails, sms-es, televised debates and of course newspaper reports, opinions of columnists and editorials. While the sacrifice of martyrs have been hailed, the self-serving ways of politicians decried and the goof-ups of the plethora of security agencies exposed, there seems to be little evidence of soul-searching being done by citizens.
It is in the context of the last mentioned aspect, that we would like to share with you the contents of an e-mail received from a ‘face-less’ sender – though, the anonymity of most e-mails can be a put-off, the contents of these couple of e-mails definitely created a sense of ‘curiosity’ (1st e-mail) and served as an eye-opener (2nd). We felt that this was definitely something worth sharing with you, our esteemed readers, because, at the end of the day, “Aren’t we all, striving for a better quality of life?”
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E-mail #1
Ashni - An Initiative
"Ashni" \a-sh-ni\ is a word of Sanskrit origin and means "Flash of Light".
Ashni is an initiative started by a small group of people who believe that the world can be a better place to live, who believe in the power of good and who believe that humans have the potential to achieve great things and grow.
Just like a flash of light dispels darkness, Ashni will endeavor to enlighten and educate people with interesting, inspiring and motivating themes, through the medium of short emails sent periodically.
This is an initiative in which there is no leader, no follower and no ulterior motive. Our vision for Ashni is that it would finally form a strong community of people who are independent, empowered, full of values and in total control of their lives - ready to bring about a positive transformation in themselves, others and the world at large.
Anyone who is a part of Ashni would only have to spare two to three minutes of their time to read the email and try their best to implement the learning into their lives. Then, just experience the difference and spread the light!
If you feel convinced and would like to be a part of this initiative, thank you. You already are. If you think this would be a waste of time for you and this is spam, please reply with just one word - "Unsubscribe". We will immediately take you off our mailing list.
E-mail #2
Peace - Last week’s terrorist attack in Mumbai shows that there is still a long way to go before India and even the entire world can become a peaceful place to live in. Ruthless killing of innocent people by juvenile lunatics proves that the concept of peace is too complicated to be understood by all.
Peace will prevail when everything and everyone is in harmony; there are no differences or conflicts. But the fact is that differences and conflicts are a part of life. When people take differences to an extreme, it gives birth to hatred which leads to violence.
Differences in religion, beliefs and even relationships are case in point. When people take differences in religion to an extreme, they become terrorists. When a husband and wife take their differences to an extreme, it results in a divorce. When nations go to an extreme with their differences, they go to war.
In a world of differences, how can we live peacefully? By being peaceful outside and inside!
Peaceful outside: Peaceful outside means being peaceful in our relationships. When there are differences or conflicts, just stop to think. Look at things logically and understand the consequences of the differences. Differences are always destructive. Don’t let your ego rule your better self. Think – is it worth it? Think “so what”? One should learn to just let go and forget about it. Look at the positive aspects of things. And see how peace prevails.
Peaceful inside: Being peaceful inside is also a very important thing. Only when you are peaceful inside, can you be peaceful outside. To be peaceful from within, we should not let negative thoughts rule our self. Just kill thoughts of jealousy and hatred. Control your ego. Do some yoga and meditation. Look at the broader picture. Always remain calm and collected, come what may. (This might sound too idealistic, but just reflect on it. If carefully applied, it would change our lives!)
Have you observed a forest or an ocean? There are thousands of species (different animals, fishes) living in harmony. They don’t fight with each other. Then why can’t humans, who are much more evolved than animals, live together peacefully? Ponder on this thought for a while. And see if what has been mentioned above makes sense.
Tonight, before we sleep, let us spare 3 minutes of our precious time to pray for those who have lost their lives in the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Pray for giving strength to those who have lost their loved ones. And pray for world peace so that such incidents are not repeated.
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Do these e-mails offer a solution? I don’t think so!
Do they offer ‘light at the end of the tunnel’? No way!
Then, why the hell are we creating such a fuss about them?
It is because, the emails, particularly E-mail #2, which gives us a very important message – Whenever, we are disturbed, outraged, furious, First, we need to calm down and collect our thoughts and control our emotions, because without doing so we will not be able to think clearly. Because, without clarity of thought, objectivity and meaningful actions will always elude us!
p.s. – If you wish to receive e-mails from Ashni, you can e-mail them at - ashnimail@gmail.com
In the aftermath of the events, there has been an outpouring of anger (significantly more than grief) through various forms – emails, sms-es, televised debates and of course newspaper reports, opinions of columnists and editorials. While the sacrifice of martyrs have been hailed, the self-serving ways of politicians decried and the goof-ups of the plethora of security agencies exposed, there seems to be little evidence of soul-searching being done by citizens.
It is in the context of the last mentioned aspect, that we would like to share with you the contents of an e-mail received from a ‘face-less’ sender – though, the anonymity of most e-mails can be a put-off, the contents of these couple of e-mails definitely created a sense of ‘curiosity’ (1st e-mail) and served as an eye-opener (2nd). We felt that this was definitely something worth sharing with you, our esteemed readers, because, at the end of the day, “Aren’t we all, striving for a better quality of life?”
--------------------------------------------------------
E-mail #1
Ashni - An Initiative
"Ashni" \a-sh-ni\ is a word of Sanskrit origin and means "Flash of Light".
Ashni is an initiative started by a small group of people who believe that the world can be a better place to live, who believe in the power of good and who believe that humans have the potential to achieve great things and grow.
Just like a flash of light dispels darkness, Ashni will endeavor to enlighten and educate people with interesting, inspiring and motivating themes, through the medium of short emails sent periodically.
This is an initiative in which there is no leader, no follower and no ulterior motive. Our vision for Ashni is that it would finally form a strong community of people who are independent, empowered, full of values and in total control of their lives - ready to bring about a positive transformation in themselves, others and the world at large.
Anyone who is a part of Ashni would only have to spare two to three minutes of their time to read the email and try their best to implement the learning into their lives. Then, just experience the difference and spread the light!
If you feel convinced and would like to be a part of this initiative, thank you. You already are. If you think this would be a waste of time for you and this is spam, please reply with just one word - "Unsubscribe". We will immediately take you off our mailing list.
E-mail #2
Peace - Last week’s terrorist attack in Mumbai shows that there is still a long way to go before India and even the entire world can become a peaceful place to live in. Ruthless killing of innocent people by juvenile lunatics proves that the concept of peace is too complicated to be understood by all.
Peace will prevail when everything and everyone is in harmony; there are no differences or conflicts. But the fact is that differences and conflicts are a part of life. When people take differences to an extreme, it gives birth to hatred which leads to violence.
Differences in religion, beliefs and even relationships are case in point. When people take differences in religion to an extreme, they become terrorists. When a husband and wife take their differences to an extreme, it results in a divorce. When nations go to an extreme with their differences, they go to war.
In a world of differences, how can we live peacefully? By being peaceful outside and inside!
Peaceful outside: Peaceful outside means being peaceful in our relationships. When there are differences or conflicts, just stop to think. Look at things logically and understand the consequences of the differences. Differences are always destructive. Don’t let your ego rule your better self. Think – is it worth it? Think “so what”? One should learn to just let go and forget about it. Look at the positive aspects of things. And see how peace prevails.
Peaceful inside: Being peaceful inside is also a very important thing. Only when you are peaceful inside, can you be peaceful outside. To be peaceful from within, we should not let negative thoughts rule our self. Just kill thoughts of jealousy and hatred. Control your ego. Do some yoga and meditation. Look at the broader picture. Always remain calm and collected, come what may. (This might sound too idealistic, but just reflect on it. If carefully applied, it would change our lives!)
Have you observed a forest or an ocean? There are thousands of species (different animals, fishes) living in harmony. They don’t fight with each other. Then why can’t humans, who are much more evolved than animals, live together peacefully? Ponder on this thought for a while. And see if what has been mentioned above makes sense.
Tonight, before we sleep, let us spare 3 minutes of our precious time to pray for those who have lost their lives in the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Pray for giving strength to those who have lost their loved ones. And pray for world peace so that such incidents are not repeated.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Do these e-mails offer a solution? I don’t think so!
Do they offer ‘light at the end of the tunnel’? No way!
Then, why the hell are we creating such a fuss about them?
It is because, the emails, particularly E-mail #2, which gives us a very important message – Whenever, we are disturbed, outraged, furious, First, we need to calm down and collect our thoughts and control our emotions, because without doing so we will not be able to think clearly. Because, without clarity of thought, objectivity and meaningful actions will always elude us!
p.s. – If you wish to receive e-mails from Ashni, you can e-mail them at - ashnimail@gmail.com
